In a case of political correctness gone wrong, ESPN has decided to pull an announcer, whose name is similar to the general’s, from calling the plays for the upcoming University of Virginia vs. William & Mary football game next month in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Va.

White supremacists and neo-Nazis clashed with Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters on Aug. 12 during the supremacists’ protest against a taking down the statue of Robert E. Lee.

Robert Lee, who is Asian American, won’t be announcing for the game because of a collective decision by ESPN that was made “as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name.”

Instead, he will be calling plays for Youngstown State University’s game at the University of Pittsburgh on Sept. 2.

“We collectively made the decision with Robert to switch games as the tragic events in Charlottesville were unfolding, simply because of the coincidence of his name. In that moment it felt right to all parties. It's a shame that this is even a topic of conversation and we regret that who calls play by play for a football game has become an issue," ESPN said in a statement.

ESPN’s decision led to condemnation from the right and the left.

Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin tweeted, “First, #SJWs came for every Asian-American dude named #RobertLee Next, the feminists will target every Asian-American whose last name is Ho.”

Actress Stacey Dash tweeted, “This nonsense is the result of people cowtowing in fear to the reign of terror of The Left as they do this for your own good.”

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) called the decision “idiocy.”

“If this isn't the same Lee that led the Confederate Army, ESPN needs to reverse this idiocy,” Larsen tweeted.

Talk show host and activist Joe Madison tweeted: “Hey @espn, would you not cover a player if his name was #RobertLee? #shutup”

Sponsored Links

The mission of the Media Research Center is to create a media culture in America where truth and liberty flourish. The MRC is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the MRC are tax-deductible.